Saturday, August 4, 2012

STGCC 2012: Asian Comic Artists Get The Spotlight!

It is about time that talented local and regional comic artists given their chance to shine.

Did anyone notice that with each bout of STGCC guest announcement, there has been an indication that the spotlight will be on Asian artists this year? There also seems to be a stronger, more united support from the Asian artists involved with this year's event, and Red Dot Diva thinks it is wonderful to see this happening.

Sure, well-known creators from USA and UK, like Marvel artist Mark Brooks, creator of the Tokidoki brand Simone Legno, toy designer/ street artist Tristan Eaton, UK-based comic artist Andie Tong and the recently announced addition, prominent writer Andy Diggle, will all be attending STGCC 2012. But it is even more exciting to see the number of Asian artists getting ready to flock to Red Dot Island on the weekend of 1-2 September, armed with printed sketchbooks, an enviable resume and a ready fanbase.

In this field, the Filipino artists have surpassed the rest in the region by sheer numbers. For years, the artist community there have managed to build a strong liaison with comic creators in the West. And hence, it is no surprise that quite a few artists from the Philippines will be attending STGCC 2012, including announced guest Leinil Yu ("Uncanny X-Men, "New Avengers"), who is no stranger to STGCC and a familiar face to Marvel comic fans around the world. Leinil will be at the event together with his "Silent Dragon" comic creator pals, Andy Diggle and fellow Filipino artist - Gerry Alanguilan.

Gerry has worked with both Marvel and DC on comics like "Ultimate Avengers" and "Superman: Birthright". He has also invested in his creator-owned comics back home including titles like "Wasted" and "Elmer". In fact, "Elmer" was nominated for the Eisner Award for best graphics album category in 2011.

Back to the Red Dot Island for STGCC 2012 this year are Mico Suayan, Stephen Segovia, Carlo Pagulayan and Mark Torres -- a bunch of friendly Filipino artist acquaintances who Red Dot Diva thinks secretly misses her bloggery biceps too much not to be here for the convention. :P The four artists will be hosted at the booth jointly owned by local store, Invasion! Toys and Collectibles and Vinyl-on-Vinyl. And Jason Paz, whose strong inkwork is seen in titles like "Red Hulk", "Thor: Deviant Saga" and "Hercules", is also set to join them there.

Also under the umbrella of Vinyl-on-Vinyl is local chibi artist and illustrator Mashi aka Wendy Chew. As Red Dot Diva has mentioned before, if one has not checked out Mashi's pin-up style artwork yet, you should! Especially if you love art of voluptuous women with a dash of cheeky humour. Just look at these limited edition poker cards that Mashi will be launching at the convention!

She will also be releasing her new sketch book that weekend, and is currently working with Vinyl-on-Vinyl for a new toy figurine.

Another local artist one should look out at the Invasion/ Vinyl-on-Vinyl booth is the young but impressive Shawn Yap. Red Dot Diva has only recently got to know Shawn and finds his clean, fluid and lively art style quite eye-catching.

There will be a few other Red Dot Islander artists who will be having their own booths at STGCC. "Sir Fong" will be launching his latest book, "Adventures In Science BOOK 4" - a great mix of Science and graphic novel. Yet another artist acquaintance, Kelvin Chan will be putting out previews of his own comic, "The Battlemonks" as well as upcoming figurines. And indie publisher Epigram Books will be hosting a few local writers and artists like Dave Chua, Koh Hong Teng and Miel.

From across the Causeway, the Gilamon Studio boys Tan Eng Huat, Michael Chuah, Chin Sau Lim and Lefty Kam are all set for STGCC. They will be sharing a booth with "Malinky Robot"'s creator Sonny Liew. Lefty has just created a new comic title with an intriguing name called "JimiGerm" which was launched at the recent Comic-Con. And Eng Huat has just announced his new gig for Marvel's "X-men: Legacy" together with Si Spurrier. Red Dot Diva bumped into the the Gilamon boys at Comic-Con last month, loves catching up with them, so she expects to be hanging around quite a bit at this booth during the weekend.

Other regional artists who are coming to the convention are Indonesian Ario Anindito, Soldevi from Thailand and the Japanese creators from DevilRobots amongst several others who will be at Artist Alley. Thereby, making this year's STGCC a great place for regional artists to showcase their work and to network.

So, don't miss out on coming to STGCC this year! These are exciting times indeed for Asia's current and upcoming artists and designers, and even more so for the fans.

Tick tock, tick tock..... The couintdown begins. The convention is only 27 days away.
Go get your tickets now!

PS: As for the guests, get your biceps ready! Red Dot Diva will be on a Biceps Hunt that weekend!

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STGCC 2012 will be held on 1-2 September at Hall B & C, Level 1 at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands.